Of Roses and Thorns
by sweetest.syn
Summary: REWRITE. My summary would do no good to this story so please give it a chance.
1. Chapter 1

_The little girl, barely ten years old, ran into the courtyard, a rag doll grasped tightly in her pudgy, white hand. She plopped down near the bushes, playing with the doll, her laughter pealing through the air like silver bells. She was a servant girl and had been for her all her childhood. She was an orphan and no one knows exactly how she came to be a slave. Mama, the head servant, says she just appeared one night._

"_Durza, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to!" The girl looked up in time to see a man with crimson hair push another man down to the ground with such force a few teeth were knocked out. The tall man, Durza, she was assuming, smirked down at the injured man, muttering under his breath. The man on the ground was lifted up into the air by an invisible force._

"_Jonathon, you betrayed the King. That's a crime worthy of death. And so be it."Again, Durza muttered under his breath. Jonathon's breath came harder and his face turned red. His body swelled and then suddenly, he exploded. Blood coated everything, including the little girl. Durza had turned to go back into the castle, but the child's scream caused him to turn around. Upon seeing the small girl, he smiled, showing off sharpened teeth. Producing a dagger from his cloak, he walked towards the child and in one quick motion, slit her throat. "You stupid wench."_

"Raisa! Wake up!" I gasped, snapping my golden brown eyes open. My hands found their way to my neck, touching the rough black cloth I wore around it to make sure the scar remained out of sight. Yes, I was the girl in the nightmare. That had been seven years ago. Luckily, Mama had found me in time, so I didn't bleed to death. However, my voice was reduced to a hoarse whisper.

"Raisa, this is the third night in a row." My best friend, Miriam, ran a hand through her matted red hair, her bright green eyes red from exhaustion. We slaves were allowed little luxuries, those of which included baths. I looked down, feeling guilty for keeping her awake at night with my mumbling and attempts at screaming.

"I'm sorry." Even though I could still talk, I chose not to most of the time. I hadn't really liked speaking and ever since the incident, talking for so long made my throat hurt. I dropped my hands from my neck and looked out the window. The sun was peeking over the mountains. I pulled the blankets from my body and got out of bed.

"Here." Miriam reached into the chest at the foot of my bed and handed me a deep red dress, simply cut. I smiled and took it, blinking to thank her. She nodded and reached into her own chest, choosing a forest green dress that made her features pop.

Once we were dressed, we grabbed each other's hand, a symbol of friendship and loyalty, and headed to the kitchen. Miriam and I scrubbed dishes, which was the lowest position a servant could have. Miriam was a scrubber because she had a rebellious side and a rather interesting vocabulary. I was a scrubber simply because I was an orphan and had no status among even the slaves.

"Finally! I've been waiting all morning for you." Ana, the slave in charge of kitchen work, glared at us. I bowed my head and Miriam bit back her comeback. She remembered how hard Ana hit with a wooden spoon. "You girlies will be working overtime tonight. Galbatorix has a very special guest and the dinner must be absolutely delectable, meaning the dishes they are on must be cleaner than normal."

Miriam and I bowed and hurried towards the large, wooden tub where the dirty dishes were collected. Grabbing a rag from the side, I plunged my hands into the water and began scrubbing at a plate. Miriam did the same. After a few moments, she said, "I bet its Murtagh."

"Who?" Slaves were allowed free time after their chores were completed and I normally spent my free time in the garden or my room, staring out the window, so I never got the gossip on who was new or what. Miriam, though, was quite popular among everyone, so she was my source of the best news.

"Murtagh, the handsome new prince." Miriam's eyes softened and a smile grew ever so faintly on her lips, a look I knew well.

"You have a crush on this man. Come on, tell me about him!" I smiled. Miriam always had a man she was chasing after. She had been to bed more times than I cared to count and she came to bed late, cheeks flushed from a quick session with her current man. I loved it for her, but I was innocent. I didn't trust men really nor did I think I was pretty enough to snag a man. I was much too short, my skin was milky white and I had purple bags under my golden brown eyes from lack of sleep. My hair was long and wavy, but a dull brown. Men wanted girls with exotic features like Miriam or Bell, the prettiest girl I knew. She was blonde with rosy cheeks and clear blue eyes.

"Well, he's rebellious and a tough guy. He's tall, dark and handsome. That's all I heard before decided he was my new man!" She threw back her head and laughed. Ana looked over with an annoyed expression. Miriam simply smiled back, so sweetly it made my tooth ache.

"He sounds like your kind of guy." I looked down at the sudsy water; my hands wrinkled from the cold water and continued scrubbing.

When we had finally finished every single dish, it was near time for dinner. I stood up and allowed myself a moment to stretch my back. I leaned down and grabbed a stack of plates and walked to Ana. She grabbed the plates from me and said, "Oh, Raisa, the King requested that you go to the bathing room immediately."

I tilted my head in confusion, but nodded and hurried away, glancing at Miriam on my way out. The bathing rooms weren't hard to find. A woman I didn't recognize smiled and walked to me. "You must be Raisa. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

I followed her, keeping my gaze on the ground. Inside, I saw a large tub filled with steaming water. The woman commanded me to strip and I did so, somewhat embarrassed. I was never naked in front of anybody, even Miriam who was like my blood sister. I stepped into the water and sighed inwardly at how amazing the hot water felt on my skin. The woman began scrubbing the dirt away from me. She dunked my head into the water and washed my hair. Before I was ready to get out, she handed me a towel, told me to dry off and walked out of the room. In a minute, she returned, holding a folded square of white cloth. Once it was unfolded, I saw it was a small dress. She helped me into it and I was amazed at how well I looked in it. It reached a few inches above my knees and it was sleeveless, held up by my breasts.

"Follow me." She briskly walked out of the room and I hurried to catch up. I was panting by the time we finally stopped in front of a large, oak door. She opened the door without knocking and I followed her inside. I gasped at the interior. The floor was covered in a white rug that was deliciously soft against my bare feet. A fire was burning in the large heart and on the wall opposite the fireplace was a huge bed with a black canopy. A sizeable window was covered with a black curtain and there was a table with two chairs by a massive bookshelf.

"Alright, Raisa, you are now Murtagh's slave." Ana smiled grimly when she saw the look of shock on my face. "You were chosen for your innocence and behavior. You'll do fine. He should be arriving any minute. Good luck."

Ana left me alone in the large room. It was so much nicer than my own room, which consisted of two beds, two chests and a window that allowed a cold draft or made the room unbearably stuffy depending on the season. I didn't want to sit down and ruin anything so I just stood there, allowing my feet to bask in the wonderful, soft rug.

"Who are you?" I turned around and my face smashed against someone's chest. Backing away, I looked up and saw a man, maybe twenty years old. He had a tanned muscular body, deep brown hair that framed a pair of grey eyes. It had to be Murtagh. "I said, who are you?"

"I'm Raisa." I cleared my throat, wincing inwardly at the pain it caused me. "I'm your new slave."

"Raisa, eh? How old are you? And can you speak louder?" He pushed past me, taking off his shirt, revealing a long scar on his back that spanned shoulder to hip. I had to admit, it looked a lot more painful than my tiny scar.

"I'm seventeen." I tried to make my voice louder, but it only caused me pain. I gasped out loud and he turned around. My face must have been twisted with pain because a look of pity flashed in his eyes, but was replaced with the cold stare they had had earlier.

"What's that cloth around your neck?' He walked over to me and fingered it. I backed away, shivering. I never had shown anybody the scar except for Mama and Miriam and not even they knew the full story as to how I had gotten it. Mama thought I had just fallen wrongly and cut myself on something sharp. Miriam knew it was Durza's doing, but not why. Murtagh smirked and pulled me closer, his finger loosening the cloth. I struggled faintly and murmured, "Please don't."

He sighed, tightening it again. His hand lingered on my neck before trailing up to my cheek. He wrapped his arms around me and crushed me against his chest. I froze, terrified he would pull a knife and stab me to death. I pushed away from him, tears sliding down my cheek. He looked hurt, but didn't say anything about it. He grabbed my hand, gently but with meaning, and pulled me towards the bed. He picked me up and laid me down, then crawled in beside me. He looked like he wanted to hold me again, but refrained from doing so. He turned so his back was to me and soon fell asleep. I snuggled up to myself, allowing part of my arm to touch his back. In a few minutes, I was asleep as well.

"Raisa, wake up, Raisa!" I sat up in the bed, my eyes sticky and swollen. I had been crying in my sleep again. I looked up, expecting to see Miriam, but instead it was Murtagh. I had forgotten about last night. I wiped my eyes and waited for the trembling to stop. Murtagh cupped my chin and tilted my head upwards. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, then shook my head. I had to speak to my master. "Yes. It was ju-"

Murtagh put a finger to my lips, shushing me. "It hurts you to speak so much. I can see it in your eyes."

I looked down, blushing. He was much kinder than I would expect a master to be to his slave. He got up out of the bed, walked towards the door and when he noticed I wasn't following, smiled and said, "Come on, sweetling."

Sweetling? That's something lovers call each other. Confused, I got up and followed him out of the room.

**MURTAGH'S POV**

What is wrong with me? Here I am, a mastermind of breaking girls' hearts and I'm feeling so different about this slave girl! I don't want to hurt her or anything like that. When she looks at me, I can see enough sorrow and pain in there. I want to make it all go away.

I clenched my hands into fists, digging my nails into my palms. This feeling was new to me. I had even called her sweetling. Sweetling! I shook my head furiously as we entered the kitchen. I reached behind me and pulled Raisa to my side, my arm holding her closely so that she might feel protecting. Instead, she trembled and tried to put as much space between us as she possibly could. I sighed, dropping my arm. That was something I would have to dig for. Also, what was she hiding under that ridiculous cloth?

"Master Murtagh." The maid bowed deeply. I waited for her to finish before requesting two glasses of warm milk and honeyed bread. In a few minutes, she gave the items to me and I led Raisa out into the courtyard. She stopped as we came into sight of the courtyard, visibly trembling and her eyes wide with fear. "Rai-"

Before I could finish my question, she ran away, back into the castle. I dropped the food, racing after her. She was very small and took short strides so it wasn't long before I overpowered her near the slaves' quarters. I held her close to me, stroking her back. She struggled to get away for a minute, but pressed herself against me, crying into my chest.

"Raisa?" A redheaded girl came out of the room we were near. She took one look at Raisa and pulled her away from me, hugging her. "What's wrong?"

I had to lean forward to hear it. "C-Courtyard."

"Did he take you there?" The girl shot me a look that could kill and scowled at me. "Listen, if you had a heart, you wouldn't be taking Raisa to the courtyard or anywhere near there."

Raisa backed away from the girl. "Miriam…"

"Hush, Raisa. Murtagh and I are going to have a nice little talk." The girl, Miriam, grabbed the crook of my arm and dragged me down the hall to a palce where Raisa wouldn't be able to hear us. She slapped me across the face. Normally, I would have killed her on the spot for something like that, but if it concerned Raisa, I could bite back my respect issues. "What are you doing taking her out there? Do you not know what happened to her?"

"Obviously not." I didn't like this girl's attitude.

"I'm sure you know Durza. Well, he decided to use her to practice his butchering skills on. That cloth around her neck ain't just there to look pretty." Her green eyes twinkled with anger and…was that lust? All the slaves wanted me. It was both a good thing and bad thing. I could pleasure myself anytime I wanted, but they always expected something more from me. "Are you her master?"

I nodded. She smiled. "Good. I'd rather it be you than someone else. You don't seem cruel. She needs someone nice that will make her feel safe."

I nodded again than hurried over to Raisa. I reached out and pulled her close again. She hesitated before leaning against me, just barely resting her head on my chest. Miriam once again pulled her away from me and hugged her. She winked at me and I offered a half smile in return. Her cheeks turned a ruddy red and she hurried back into the room.

"Come on. I'll take you back to my room and we'll have breakfast there." I placed my hand on the small of her back and led her back to the room. Once inside, a maid brought us some more warm milk and honeyed bread and we ate the breakfast in silence, though it was a comfortable one.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the morning went by without incident. Murtagh spoke little to none with me, only telling me to take the dishes back to the kitchen. I gathered the empty plates and cups and hurried out of the room. I heard the door slam behind me and decided I would take my time. I didn't want to be around an angry man, especially Murtagh.

"Raisa!" Miriam wrapped her arms around me, soaking the white dress I still wore. I would have to grab some of my own clothing before I returned. I hugged my friend tightly, glad to be around somebody familiar. Then I remembered I was supposed to be angry at her.

"You told him about Durza." I placed my hands on my hips, a smile on my face. I couldn't ever be truly angry with her. She was the only one who didn't shun me.

"I got to talk to him, though!" She threw back her head and laughed. I had missed her cackle.

"Let's take a walk." Murtagh wouldn't get angry with me if I took a walk, would he?

**Murtagh's POV**

"Murtagh, the King requests your presence," the blonde maid looked up at me, fluttering her skimpy eyelashes. "Immediately."

I nodded, waving to dismiss her. A few minutes later, I left the room and walked to the throne room. The King was standing up. This was a change. Normally, he would be sitting on his throne, modeled to look like bones when it was really intricately carved stone.

"Murtagh. Follow me." The King pushed aside the canvas that displayed the map of Alagaesia and held it open for me. Hesitantly, I walked forward, following him into a maze of tunnels. As we neared a large opening, I heard growling and chains rattling together. Entering the cavern, I waited for my eyes to adjust, then gasped, staring up at the black creature.

_Shruikan. _

The pitiful dragon was chained to the wall, an iron clasped around his back legs and neck. When he saw Galbatorix, he lifted a forepaw as though to swipe at him, but with a moan, placed it back onto the ground. Galbatorix smirked and walked up the dragon. I felt anger and sorrow as I watched the magnificent creature tremble at the man's touch.

"Shruikan and I have been…partners for quite some time now." He turned towards me and smirked. "I think it's time you should know."

"Know what, my Lord?" The pit of my stomach turned icy cold. Many thoughts were racing through my head, but none matched what Galbatorix said.

"You're going to be the new Rider. Isn't it obvious?" He snapped his fingers and the Twins appeared from behind Shruikan, who mourned sorrowfully. One kicked my knees, causing me to fall and the other grasped my hair, pushing a dagger against my throat. "But, first, you have to swear loyalty to me."

I gasped. "Isn't it enough that I already serve you? There shouldn't be need for binding oaths."

The King let out a horrid laugh. "My dear boy, you don't understand." He nodded at the Twins and slowly walked back to the throne room.

"You shouldn't have said that." Suddenly, my body exploded with pain, inflicted by both spells and physical means. It wasn't long before I was unconscious.

I slowly opened my eyes, noticing I couldn't open my right one all the way. I lifted my hand and touched it. I gasped, feeling the puffiness and a cut on the lid. I pushed myself up, grunting in pain. I noticed the blonde maid standing by my bed, a bowl full of bandages and a wet cloth. Her blue eyes were wide. "You're awake?"

What a daft fool. Of course, I'm awake. I held my hand out and muttered, "Bring me water."

She dropped the bowl and hurried to get the water. I chuckled. These girls were so stupid. I took note of all my other injuries, deciding the worse was a cut spanning across my stomach. I reached down and grabbed a length of cloth, wrapping it around the injury, pulling it as tight as I could without it hurting.

I leaned back down, waiting for Raisa…wait a minute, where was she?

I slung my legs off the bed, ignoring the pain as I got up and strode out of the room. I found her in her old room, sitting on the bed with the redhead, Miriam. She had a smile on her face that quickly disappeared when she saw me. She scampered off of the bed, into the corner. I noticed a bundle of clothing on the chest.

"Raisa, what are you doing here? Did I give you permission to leave?" I walked up to her, towering over her. She pressed herself tighter against the wall, her lower lip quivering. Part of me felt guilty for scaring her like this, but I couldn't let her behavior go on like this. Or was I just angry because of the Twins and King?

I grasped her by her hair and dragged her out of the room, ignoring the redhead's protests and screaming. I heard Raisa mutter something, but I tugged on her hair. I shoved her inside my room and slammed the door shut. I didn't say anything. I grabbed her by her arm and pulled her close to me, though not in a loving manner this time. I grabbed her chin and yanked her face up until she was staring me in the eyes. I wanted to say something to explain myself, but I just squeezed her tighter until she cried out in pain.

I let go off her and walked to the window. Gazing outside, I made myself ignore Raisa's crying and clenched my fists together. I felt a tear slide down my cheek. A tear made of anger, pain, guilt and who knows what else. I saw Raisa crawl into the bed, glancing at me with wide eyes. I wiped the tear away and walked to the bed, getting in beside her. She flinched when I touched her arm. I slid closer to her and placed my head softly on hers, kissing her behind the ear as I did so.

"Raisa, I'm sorry." I hugged her around the waist, rubbing my thumb against her stomach. Somewhat hesitantly, she turned over until she was facing me. Her eyes were red and I saw my handprint on her chin. I felt a lump in my throat and gasped, tears falling again. I was becoming a monster, just like my father.

"Why?" Her voice was soft, wavering with hurt and confusion but stubbornness. I pulled her closer and she placed her hand on my waist, stroking the skin. I cried myself to sleep, my tears mixing in with her hair.

**Raisa's POV**

Murtagh was the new dragon Rider. He had left the second he woke up, throwing on some clothes and leaving without saying a word. I stayed in the room, scared of another episode like yesterday. A blonde servant had came in, asking for Murtagh. When she saw he wasn't here, she smiled at me and said, "You're lucky to be the Rider's slave."

"Rider?" I looked up from the window.

"Didn't you hear? His dragon is supposed to hatch soon. Come on." She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room and into a tunnel that I realized wasn't used very often. She raised a finger to her lips, telling me to keep quiet and we came out of the tunnel into a large room. We hid in the shadows. I recognized Murtagh and the King, standing with two bald men who had to be the Twins. On a table in front of them was a red stone and a green one. Murtagh placed his hands reluctantly on the red egg. After a few minutes, he dropped his hands and backed away. A cracking noise was heard and the stone split open. A slimy creature unlike anything I had ever seen looked around him, his large red eyes focusing on Murtagh. The dragon whined and Murtagh hurried forward, gathering the creature in his hands. With a nod from Galbatorix, he placed his hand on the creature's snout. A blinding light flashed around the room and I heard Murtagh cry out. When I had regained my vision, I saw Murtagh on the ground, the dragon cooing on his chest.

"Come on." The blonde grabbed my hand and led me back to Murtagh's room. I shut the door behind her and resumed my spot by the window. Maybe that was why he had been so angry the other day. But why would he be angry? He seemed to enjoy being loyal to the King. This meant he would be favorited by the man.

"Raisa." I turned around and saw Murtagh standing behind me. His hair was ruffled and he wore a leather glove over his left hand, but other than that, he looked normal. I nearly smiled at him, but bit it back.

"Where is the other glove?" I pointed to his naked hand then his gloved one. He hid the gloved hand behind him and smiled.

"It doesn't matter." He walked over to stand beside me. "You're a slave. You know what it feels like to have no free will."

I looked up at him. Where was he going with this?

"You know how it feels to be owned by somebody. But you don't know what it's like to be owned by a madman." He whipped his hand at me, tugging at the cloth around my neck. It loosened to reveal the top of the pink scar. "You know how it feels to be haunted by one, but being owned by one is much worse."

"Who owns you? Durza?" Panic squeezed my heart. He was still here? What if he came to kill me tonight? My breath came in quick gasps. "Tell me!"

"Relax. Durza won't touch you." Murtagh scoffed at me. "You're scared of everything. No, Raisa, Galbatorix owns me! He knows my true name."

"What's a true name?" I had heard of it, but I didn't know everything about it.

"If someone knows your true name and they speak it, they can get you to do anything they want. He stole my freedom. He took everything from me." He grasped me by my shoulders. "Promise you won't leave. You're the only thing I have left that isn't tainted by Galbatorix."

"I-I won't leave." First, he was kind, then he was abusive. Now, he's desperate. I placed my hand on his cheek and murmured, "It can't be that bad."


End file.
